The character 念 — “think of”: how to write it and what it means
think of, miss; read aloud
The Chinese character 念 is read niàn and means “think of, miss; read aloud”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 念
念 has 8 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 念, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 念 is made of
Below, 心 “heart”; on top, 今 “now”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 念
- 想念miss (someone)HSK 5
- 概念conceptHSK 5
- 纪念commemorate; memoryHSK 5
- 观念notion, viewsHSK 5
- 纪念日commemoration day, anniversaryHSK 5
- 思念miss, long for (someone)HSK 6
- 怀念miss, remember fondlyHSK 6
- 念书study; read (aloud)HSK 6
- 理念concept, idea (principle)HSK 6
- 信念belief, convictionHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 念?
念 has 8 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 念 mean?
念 means “think of, miss; read aloud”. It appears in 想念 (“miss”), 概念 (“concept”), 纪念 (“commemorate”), 观念 (“notion”).
How do you pronounce 念?
念 is read niàn. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 念 have?
8 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 念 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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